Ghosts of War
by doctorwholover
Summary: What if the Doctor met a Rose Tyler who didn't seem so much like the Rose he remembered? What is happening and will the Doctor ever see Rose again? And what does the big Bad Wolf have to do with everything? Prepare yourselves for the story spanning across multiple universes and a hundred lifetimes. 10/Rose with appearances of Cap. Jack H. and other beloved characters.
1. Surprise at Powell Estate

**A/N: So, this story begins when the Doctor has traveled with Martha for a bit and she leaves, though this story doesn't include that scene. Never really cared for Martha, so the least I had to write her character, the better. This story might continue for quite a while, if reviews want it to. I have anticipated plans for it, and they involve the reappearance of old faces mixed with some new ones. I love to write in new characters, so prepare to be surprised with new loves. Rose is meant to be a mystery, so if you're confused, it's actually a good thing ;)**

 **I hope you like the story, please leave some feedback. Haven't been on here in what feels like centuries. Thanks!**

Chapter 1:

The planet they were on astounded Martha to no end. The skies were soaked in deep reds and oranges. It reminded her of lava, but the Doctor told her it was indeed the sky. The mountains were reddish brown and looked like they had snowcaps, but the Doctor told her that it was ash, not snow.

"This planet is burning itself alive," The Doctor said, looking out across the vast landscape at nothing in particular.

Martha nodded beside him, feeling a deep pain in her chest for this dying planet. "Well, is there any people here? What will they do?"

The Doctor looked down at the ground and then over at Martha. "There's no one here. They've been gone a long while. Probably figured their home was a lost cause and left it to die."

Martha sighed. "They couldn't do anything to save it?"

The Doctor just shook his head. "No. Too far gone."

Martha nodded. She had hoped he would elaborate more, but lately he didn't elaborate on much of anything. He had gotten even more distant than was typical for him. Martha knew he had had a hard time, but Martha tried her best to be there for him. He just didn't want to let her in. She knew why. He was hung up on his last companion, she who plagued Martha's dreams and she didn't even know the girl. It just hurt to want to be so close to him and he didn't want to be close to her. She had handled the rejection time and time again, and she figured she should tell him soon that she had decided to leave. It wasn't going anywhere, he wasn't opening up to her, he kind of acted like he didn't want her there, and that just wasn't going to be okay anymore.

Martha kept the tears inside, pushed them deep down, and stared out at the beautiful wasteland, her jaw hardening. She could do anything. She wasn't a soft person, she was strong and determined to not fall apart because an alien didn't return her feelings. She would survive…she would go on. Hold on…

Something moved…something out on the plains. She glanced at the Doctor, but he hadn't seemed to have noticed it. She looked again, but whatever it was had vanished. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

"Can we go now?" Martha asked.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow but motioned his long arm toward the TARDIS. Martha stepped inside, and the Doctor straightened but looked out over the planet again. His eyes filled with unshed tears as he realized again what the universe kept shoving in his face…

 _Everything dies…_

The Doctor turned and entered his TARDIS, feeling the weight of the universe on his shoulders. He felt like he carried it all on his own.

* * *

 _Years later…_

The Doctor stood outside the flats of Powell Estate. It was dark, and he kept to the shadows so he wouldn't be seen. He just wanted to see Rose again. He just needed to see her eyes sparkling in the night one more time. He told himself every time that he was done with this that he could forget her and move on, but he had to be honest…he would never forget Rose Tyler. He knew that most nights she got home about this time and that he had definitely came before Henrik's was blown up thanks to the whole plastic coming alive incident. It was important, of course, that he didn't overlap his timelines. He heard heavy footsteps and turned from his hidden stance to see her, Rose Tyler, running in his direction. She looked different…not at all like he expected her to look. Her hair was long, very long, and braided. There were thick braids and thin braids and they were all woven together. She was wearing what looked like the outfits the Native Americans used to wear. It looked like animal skin shirt and skirt. Her boots looked like leather, as well. Something was off, for sure. She didn't look like his Rose.

She ran, her braids collapsing down her back with each stride. He had been so caught up in seeing her again that he hadn't noticed that her face showed that she was scared, that she was running from something. She was running at breakneck speed, as well. The Doctor straightened slightly, torn as to whether he should make his presence known. He didn't have to wait long.

Rose ran past his vantage point and as soon as she passed where he was hidden behind a dumpster, she dead stopped in the middle of the street. Her back became rigid, and she was breathing heavily as she turned and looked the Doctor right in the eyes. The Doctor's breath was taken away. For so long, he had wanted to see those eyes again, to see her face again. It took the breath right from his lungs, even with his superior Time Lord physiology. Oh. How he had missed her…

"Doc…Doctor?" She breathed, standing still as stone. Her eyes searched the shadows.

How could she possibly know him? Discovered, the Doctor walked into the light from the streetlamps.

"Rose Tyler," The Doctor spoke reverently, coming towards her.

Rose's mouth fell open.

"No, no…what are you doing here?" Rose asked, gesturing to the general area with her arms.

The Doctor looked down, sort of ashamed at himself.

"I, uh…was just passing through. Why do you know me, Rose? It's 2004. You shouldn't know me yet," The Doctor furrowed his brow, thoroughly confused.

Rose closed her eyes, lowering her head. "I…Doctor, this…I'm not that Rose."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

Rose finally came closer to the Doctor and she smiled. "I'm not Rose…Well, it's a little complicated, but I'm not exactly Rose. Not that Rose, anyway."

"Then, who are you?" He asked, afraid to even ask it.

Rose closed her eyes. "I can't tell you. You know how it works."

The Doctor nodded, but his mind was going through every possible explanation trying to figure out what was going on.

"If you're not Rose, what are you doing here?" The Doctor asked, hoping this would be his way into knowing what was going on.

"Well…I'm actually looking for my mate, he's supposed to be…around here somewhere. I got separated from him a while back and we planned to meet back up near here," She explained.

"What kind of mate is it?" The Doctor couldn't help but ask. This version of himself gets so jealous it's ridiculous.

Rose laughed. "Just an old mate. You'd like him, I think."

The Doctor smirked. He probably wouldn't. How dare any other man hang out with his Rose.

"So, I'd better be off," Rose said after a few moments. She began backing away, but then came forward and gave the Doctor a tight hug, "It was great to see you, Doctor."

The Doctor enjoyed Rose's short hug, every moment of it. He savored the feeling of holding her again, of her smell even though it smelled a bit different, the way her hair tickled his face. That's when he felt it. There was a pull inside his hearts and inside his mind, pulling him towards her almost without control. He found himself almost gasping at the strength of this feeling. Rose stiffened in his arms and wrenched herself away. The Doctor had been reaching for that feeling with his mind without control.

Rose stared at him at arm's length. "What…what were you doing?"

"Rose…I feel something…something is different," The Doctor told her.

Rose looked down and turned away from him, his arms falling limp at his sides.

"I have to go," Rose sadly voiced, walking away.

The Doctor ran in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and stopping her.

"Rose, I just felt something I haven't felt in a millennium. Did you…did you feel it, too?" The Doctor asked, almost terrified to hear her answer.

Rose closed her eyes and sighed, dropping her head in defeat. "Doctor, I can't say anything that might jeopardize the future. You know that, so please stop asking."

The Doctor noticed her, really noticed her now. He looked Rose up and down, taking in her unruly hair, her clothes that were made of some sort of leather material, her eyes that were the same deep brown he remembered so well, but there was something hidden deep inside them. He knew there was more to this than Rose was telling him. He felt drawn to her, and it was more than the normal way he felt drawn to her. He decided not to press it. If Rose was from the future, then she knew best what he should and shouldn't know.

"Fine. I just…can't help but have this feeling there's something different about you." He spoke softly, secretly still trying to figure out what was happening.

Rose smiled and reached to touch his arm gently. "Bye, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled and nodded to her. Rose turned and ran away from the Doctor, who watched her until she disappeared from sight. The Doctor waited another hour, but his anticipated younger Rose didn't show. He must have come at a bad time to catch her outside. Sighing heavily, he walked back inside the Tardis.

"Well, she wasn't there, old girl. Where do you wanna go?" He asked his sentient ship, his hearts heavy with loss.

The Tardis answered him with a single resounding hum at the back of his mind, and the Doctor felt just a teeny tiny bit less alone. But, still, he couldn't shake the image of the wild and untamed version of Rose Tyler that he had just met. She didn't look or act like the Rose he knew, but he also knew that it was definitely Rose. How had she projected such powerful telepathy was the real question. He had felt the tendrils of her mind grasping at the edges of his. He had seen just a small glimpse into her soul in that moment, and he felt what she was feeling if only briefly. Confusion, hurt, guilt, sadness, loss, but…one emotion the Doctor would never admit to feeling, at least in this body. He had felt love, and it hadn't been his own. He had felt Rose's love for him and it almost sent him to his knees when there, in the Tardis, he realized that it was the only conclusion for the powerful emotion he had felt when her mind, apparently unknowingly to her, had reached for him. The love of Rose Tyler for her Doctor. Now that is a powerful thing.

Deciding not to wallow anymore, he mentally picked himself up, dusted himself off, and began turning the crisp gears of his ancient mind again.

"Where should we go next, girl?" He asked, this time with a smile on his face.

* * *

 _On a distant planet far into the future:_

The Tardis landed with a thud and the Doctor poked his head out, sniffing the air. It felt like he was in the right place, and it smelled like he was in the right place. He stepped out with a smile, ready to see what adventures awaited him, even if he were alone.

 **I am still deciding whether or not to continue this. Obviously there are tons of unanswered questions, but I also don't have a ton of time. Please review and I thank all of you in advance!**


	2. Freedom

**Alright, so chapter 2 of Ghosts of War. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this update!**

Chapter 2:

If you had told Rose Tyler how her life would eventually turn out all those years ago, she never would have believed you. As she methodically braided her long, unruly hair into haphazard braids, she contemplated where her life had taken her. From the parallel universe to the prime universe, she had traveled for a long time and had fought every step of the way for her freedom. Many times she had been captured, gagged, and tortured. For information, to intimidate, for fun…it was always the same. Everyone had something they wanted from her, and Rose tried her hardest to keep out of their hands.

The Doctor had lost her to a parallel universe all those years ago, and she had somehow come back to the original universe. She didn't remember much about it. Jack had told her that he had found her, bloody and bruised, in Cardiff directly on top of the rift. He had carried her to Torchwood and watched over her until she was healed.

FLASHBACK

 _Rose had little memory of her time in Pete's World, and had no earthly idea of what had happened to her family. The universe was now closed off, so Rose figured she may never know. Jack hypothesized that Rose's coming through the Void had shut the universe for good, but he wasn't sure why. Well, he wasn't sure until he did the scans on Rose while she was healing. He had scanned her a second time, not quite believing the results on his screen. When Rose awoke, Jack tentatively brought up the subject._

" _Rosie, there's something I need to tell you. While you were asleep, I scanned you. I was mostly looking to see the extent of your injuries because I was worried we might need some extra help, but your readings…they…well…" He stuttered near the end, unsure of how to bring up the news._

 _Rose sighed and moved closer to him on the bed. "Tell me."_

 _Jack stood up and paced to the nearby wall and then turned around. He blurted out, "You're not human."_

 _Rose's head jerked up. "What?!"_

 _Jack held out his arms in exasperation. "You're not human."_

 _Rose looked over to the nearby window, suddenly extremely melancholy. "What do you mean I'm not human?"_

 _Jack opened his mouth but then closed it, narrowing his eyes. "Rose, you don't really seem too upset about this. Did you already know?"_

 _She slowly shook her head, rose, and walked toward the window. "I didn't, but…it makes sense."_

 _Jack gasped. "It 'makes sense'? How and in what universe does this make sense?"_

" _Bad Wolf, Jack. I remember…Bad Wolf. I'm her, and she is me. Jack, I haven't been human for some time," She quietly answered, emotion gone from her voice. "What else did the scans say?"_

 _Jack pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Well, I guess the usual information you'd expect if the one being scanned wasn't human. Unusually high cellular regeneration rate, which I can only assume is the reason you aren't in a coma right now."_

 _Rose sighed and finally turned back to Jack. "Well, what does it mean?"_

 _Jack looked Rose straight in the eye. "In a nut shell, you aren't aging and you heal extremely fast. When I found you, Rose, you had five broken ribs, a concussion, a broken nose, and there were bruises on almost every piece of skin I could see. I can't even believe you're okay right now."_

" _Jack, promise me something right now and mean it," Rose stepped closer to him, her voice trembling._

" _Okay?" Jack voiced, unsure but he loved Rose like a sister and would promise her anything._

" _Never tell the Doctor," She told him, her gaze never wavering from his face._

" _Why not?" Jack asked, immediately confused. Rose loved the Doctor and he obviously loved her in return, so why wouldn't this be amazing and phenomenal news?_

" _How long has it been, Jack?" Rose asked, this time closing her eyes tightly._

" _Since what?" Jack asked._

" _Since I died at Canary Wharf," Rose clarified._

" _Ten years," Jack told her. Then, it struck him. "Wait. You think he's moved on."_

 _Rose didn't answer, just turned again to the window. Jack sighed and turned his head toward the ceiling, wishing with everything in him that the Doctor were here at this very moment to set things right._

" _Rose, there are two things wrong with that theory. One, the Doctor is hopelessly in love with you, and two, no one could or would ever get over you. You're one of the greatest women, if not the greatest, that I know," Jack told her honestly, coming to stand nearer to her._

" _Jack, he would never have been with me if I were human. I told him I loved him, Jack. He came to see me in the parallel world, just an image, but I told him I loved him. He was about to say it back when he…disappeared. I can't go and find him and tell him I love him again and he has a new face or he's found someone else or-"_

" _Rose, he loves you," Jack interrupted her. "Don't you think he is going to be overjoyed to see you?"_

" _I'm just not ready, Jack. Please, just promise to never tell him," Rose sullenly looked over at him, and for the first time, Jack realized how fragile she was._

 _Reluctantly and not without inner turmoil, he conceded with a nod. He would never say a word to the Doctor, not that he had seen him since Satellite 5, about Rose returning or about her newly found superhuman capabilities. He didn't understand her demand of secrecy, but he conceded because it was her. It was Rose. She knew her mind, and Jack knew she had her own reasons._

" _Besides, Jack…something inside me is telling me not to find him. It doesn't make sense, but I'm not gonna stop listening to my gut now," Rose further explained, trying to smile but coming up a tad short._

 _Jack just nodded again. "We'll figure it out, Rose. You don't age. Okay, that's cool, we will deal with it. But, there's something that I need to tell you, too," Jack told her, a smile on his face._

 _Rose focused on him, patient._

" _I don't age, either. On Satellite 5, I woke up after being shot by that Dalek. All the Daleks were gone, and the Doctor left me there and-"Jack broke off when Rose gasped._

" _What?!" Rose uttered, rapidly walking to him._

" _Well, I'm not sure if he knew I was even still alive. Besides, he had to be super worried about you," Jack tried to console her._

" _Why was he worried about me?" Rose asked, her brow scrunched up in confusion._

" _Rose, you…you were the one who killed the Daleks. He didn't tell you? That bastard," Jack huffed in frustration, hardly believing the Doctor wouldn't tell Rose about how amazing she had been that day._

" _I…He…he said that he sang a song and the Daleks ran away. I knew something else had happened, but how was it me? What did I do?" Rose asked, her hand coming up to rub her temples as she began to get a headache._

" _Rose, I don't know what you did, but I came back up to try to catch the Doctor before he left me and it was too late. But, the Daleks had completely vanished. They had disappeared," Jack told her, but then softened and took a step closer to Rose, opening his arms for her, "But, let's talk more later. This has been a trying day for you, and apparently, we have all the time in the world._

 _From inside Jack's arms, Rose's eyes filled with tears. She didn't know why, but she felt such sadness and emptiness in her mind and heart. She burrowed her nose into Jack's shoulder and inhaled his familiar scent, wishing for a moment that she could just disappear and not have to face the horrors of her life._

END OF FLASHBACK

Finishing her braid, Rose stood from her seat on a large, hollow log. She'd been waiting here for her friend for a good hour longer than the original time they said they'd meet.

"Well, guess it's time to rescue you once again, old friend," Rose snickered and began her trek through the forest.

Birds, or bird-like creatures Rose reminded herself, flitted around in the trees and seemed to follow her. She smiled as she felt their humming presence in her mind and smiled even wider. Ever since she had came back from the parallel universe, nature calmed her and being in crowds of people nearly sent her into fits. She had a severe distrust of other intelligent lifeforms, especially humans, though still the reason why was very unclear. She hadn't recovered her memories from the parallel universe yet, and it had been , almost 700 years. Rose turned 697 in two days, or at least she thought it was two days. She used a vortex manipulator, a gift from Jack, to travel through time and space, so the passing of time in her own timeline was kind of variable.

Thinking about it now, she realized that over the course of the centuries she had been in the prime universe, she was surprised that she hadn't met the Doctor before now. He was constantly getting into trouble, and constantly causing a commotion. However, she also realized that she liked to keep to the shadows. She only got involved in instances like the one she currently found herself in, when her friends were in danger.

Laughing to herself, she picked up the pace. Her life was never boring, that's for sure. Nearing the edge of the treeline, she slowly peeked around the side of a tree at the equivalent of a military base on this planet. There were humanoid looking creatures, though they spoke a language called Quami, which Rose only knew a few words of. They had pretty impressive guns, but Rose knew a thing or two about taking care of herself against odds greater than that. See, she had a secret. A secret she had unlocked a long time ago. Other than her superhuman healing abilities, Rose had discovered that almost nothing was outside of her abilities. She had destroyed people trying to hurt her with a mere flick of her wrist, quite literally. It had haunted her since, but she had learned that anyone who tried to hurt herself or her friends weren't worthy of any mercy. Still, she tried to give them a chance to redeem themselves. But, there were no second chances.

Rose would stick out like a sore thumb, she knew, so she needed to find the building her friend was in. She closed her eyes tightly and centered herself. Then, she projected her consciousness, looking for her friend inside the base below. She heard the quite conversing voices of the aliens, and she tried to listen closely for a planet Earth American accent. She caught the word "hello" and turned her consciousness in that direction. Finding Jack inside a prison cell in one of the smaller buildings, she smiled inside her mind, relieved at finding her friend. She then moved closer, trying to get him to sense her presence.

His head jerked up. "Rose?" He whispered.

Rose nudged him telepathically, forming the words "I'm coming to get you" in her mind and projecting it into his. Jack and Rose shared a telepathic bond. It was superficial but strong, and Rose could project thoughts directly into his mind if she really focused. Jack could project thoughts to her, as well, but only if he was touching her. Rose's telepathic abilities had grown in leaps and bounds since the day her and Jack had started traveling.

"There's two guards nearby, but they're weak as water. IF I hadn't been bound, I would have met you at the spot and been fine. But, there is one guy who's pretty tough, but I think he's in a different building," Jack whispered again, looking around to make sure he wasn't heard.

'What happened?' Rose telepathically asked.

Jack snickered. "Well, I was sneaking out of the base when I saw that they had some advanced medicines that might be beneficial for Torchwood to study and recreate."

Rose sighed. 'Jack, we aren't supposed to interfere in things like that.'

"Well, maybe that's how we get the advanced medicine is because I brought it back to Earth," Jack argued, pushing his lower lip out in a pout.

Rose mentally rolled her eyes. 'Well, look what it costed you.'

Jack sighed. "Yeah, you're right, you're right. Rule number one."

'Which is?' Rose asked, wanting to hear him say it.

"Stick to the plan," Jack said in a defeated voice. "Come save me, Rosie, I'm a damsel in distress."

Rose giggled and then telepathically said, 'I'm coming, just don't cause any more trouble.'

Jack laughed as the connection faded and Rose found herself inside her own body again. She needed to change her appearance, she justified, in order to get inside the base as quickly and effectively as possible. She closed her eyes again and focused hard on her clothes, which were a leather top and skirt, and changed to model after the uniforms the aliens were wearing at the base. She huffed as she realized that she had braided her hair for no reason, so she took is all town and ran her hands through it, focusing on making her hair smooth and straight. Then, she wound it up into a tight low bun on the base of her skull. Satisfied that she would fit the part, she took a deep breath and stepped out from the tree line.

Immediately, her every sense was heightened and at full strength. She was using her powers to look for every possible outcome of her actions, sifting through them one by one to decide how to proceed. She noticed the northern entrance had less guards and decided she should try to enter the camp that way. It was a longer distance from the specific building that Jack had gotten himself imprisoned in, but it was the better plan. Clearing her face of all emotion, she approached the gate.

The men turned toward her, raising their guns from their holsters slightly, but they lowered when they saw her uniform matched theirs. They spoke a string of rattled syllables that Rose didn't understand, but she projected her consciousness enough to just graze the outside of his mind, discerning what he was asking of her and also how to reply. He had asked who she was, and she found that he expected that she was the messenger sent to retrieve the prisoner and bring him to the queen in a place called 'Divotor'. Well, that's convenient. She saw the words in his mind and said them with confidence. The man nodded, finally completely taking his hand off of his gun. The gate swung open and she marched inside. The alien who had spoken went ahead of her and escorted her to the building where Jack was being held. She didn't try to converse with him again, remaining impassive and calm. The man didn't try to communicate, either.

Entering the building, Rose found herself face to face with the largest alien humanoid Rose had ever met. He was close to seven feet tall and had biceps the size of her own head and presumably quadriceps around the same size. His uniform was tight on his thickly muscled chest, and Rose suddenly felt that this was the man Jack had spoken of. Gathering her thoughts, she focused on projecting her mind to superficially graze his own, as she had done to the guard before. The large man was assessing her calmly and his face showed no emotion, but from his mind rose sensed arousal and immediately wanted to throw up. Instead, she squashed down her own feelings and opened her mouth to perfectly announce that she was here for the prisoner in his native language.

The man nodded, seeming to stop with his assessment of her. He grunted and told her to follow him. He led her down a hallway that had cells on both sides and many faces, both humanoid and not so humanoid, peered out at her. She had to temporarily shut herself back inside her own mind because they all shouted, begging for someone to help them, to release them. Rose tried to keep her face impassive, as she was here for Jack and him alone, but it wasn't lost on her that these aliens had no hope of rescue. Her heart ached to save them, to give them some hope, but she tried to focus on Jack.

The man said something, and Rose had to reach out toward his mind again. It seemed he was saying how the prisoner had been caught trying to steal valuable items from the base, specifically some medicine. She presumed he meant Jack, and simply nodded and made a small noise in the back of her throat to let him know she had heard him. Motioning her forward again, he led her to one of the last few cells, where Rose looked in and saw Jack chained to a wall. The cell was well lit and Rose could see that the aliens had beat him profusely before he had been left in the cell. A wave of anger flashed through Rose's consciousness and Jack jerked his head up, the emotion strong enough that he had felt it as her mind projected itself toward him.

Jack tried to act like he didn't know her, at once recognizing her plan from her uniform. The man unlocked his cell and walked inside, jingling some keys around, searching for the right one to unlock his handcuffs. Finding it, he unlocked them from the wall, and shoved Jack in the direction of Rose.

Rose took advantage of the time he was taking to do this.

'Jack, there are a lot of prisoners here,' Rose mentally spoke.

Jack's eyes flashed to her. Knowing what she intended because he knew her, he smiled and nodded after a moment of mentally readying himself for what was about to happen. Jack and Rose had saved countless people and aliens across their centuries of travel, and they enjoyed. They had it on good authority that the people of this planet, the Quammites they were called in most circles, but Rose called them the bringers of death. They weren't particularly friendly with outsiders, which would explain why there were so many aliens in their cells that weren't Quammites. Rose knew these aliens were not here because they had committed some heinous crime, but rather because they were different. That was something Rose couldn't and wouldn't stand for.

"Let's do it," Jack spoke, no longer caring if the man saw him directly speaking to Rose as if he knew her.

He headbutted the man who was near him, which only minorly stunned him, but it was enough for Rose to approach and put her hands on his temples, causing him to relax into a deep sleep. She didn't like to manipulate someone's mind, but she would under extreme circumstances, especially if it meant saving someone's life. Or in this case, saving a lot of creature's lives.

Rose let him fall as gently as possible and then moved towards Jack. She ran her hand over his handcuffs and they immediately fell to the ground, unlocked. Jack rubbed his wrists and they both exited the cell. Around them, the prisoners were yelling and screaming, mentally and audibly, those that were able to speak. Some aliens were strict telepaths, others had some capability of speech, and others, like humans, were rarely telepathically inclined. There was a broad mix here. Rose walked to the end of the hallway with Jack and turned back toward the way they had come. She and Jack looked at each other and grinned.

Jack took off running and Rose swiftly followed. Jack whooped as Rose put her arms out to her sides, her fingertips glowing with a golden light and pointing at each prison cell door as she passed at a spring. Each lock burst open, freeing each prisoner as she passed. Rose couldn't stop smiling as she ran, feeling the happiness and relief rising in the corridor of all the prisoners. Many, especially the telepathic aliens, thanked her over and over again as they exited their cells and began running, sliding, and crawling after her, depending on their method of movement. At the end of the corridor, they just kept running. Jack took hold of Rose's hand, pulling her along. Rose allowed herself to be led out of the building. They came up on the guard who had led Rose to the large man who was still passed out back in Jack's cell, who was now halfway to his post. Rose ran up behind him completely and utterly silent, forcing her steps to be silent even though she was running. She reached her hands up around his head and touched his temples. He immediately slumped to the ground.

This was how they did things. No killing, no guns, not unless necessary. They might carry guns sometimes, but they weren't raised unless absolutely crucial to survival. Rose was more set in this conviction than Jack was. He had always carried some sort of gun, but Rose had changed him through their traveling together. They were more like brother and sister now, and they watched out for each other closely.

Grabbing her hand again, they raced toward the gate that Rose had originally entered. The aliens were all exiting as well from the building behind them. Rose worried that the other uniformed aliens may soon interfere and she gathered her mental energy and sent out a wave of sleep over the entire base, specifically missing the aliens racing out of the building. She sent mental encouragement to them, urging them to exit the camp and find a way home. Rose and Jack ran toward the tree line once outside of the base, stopping only when they were past it. They both were breathing heavily and laughed every other breath as they came down from their high from saving the people. Jack let his head turn toward the sky, letting his laugh ring out loud and resilient.

Rose closed her eyes and focused on changing her clothes back to the leather she had been wearing before. Jack was dressed in futuristic looking black pants and a simple white shirt. He had had a jacket on this morning, but Rose guessed he had lost it somehow. Rose let her hair fall out of the bun and hang loosely down the majority of her back.

Jack looked back toward the military base. "They're gonna wake up and piss themselves."

Rose laughed. "Well, that's what they get for keeping good people there against their will."

Jack nodded and then gave a big whoop as he rose his right fist into the air. "Take that, you bunch of lousy aliens!"

Rose snorted. "Jack, come on. Let's go somewhere else. I don't wanna be here when they wake up, yeah?"

Jack laughed and looked down on his wrist. His vortex manipulator was gone. "Well, looks like we are gonna have to use yours."

Rose laughed and raised her vortex manipulator to set the coordinates for the next trip. "Where do you wanna go?"

Jack sighed. "Anywhere."

Rose laughed and grabbed Jack's hand. Rose pressed the button, and she and Jack dematerialized and all that was left to suggest they had been there were their foot impressions in the dirt and the empty prison cells.


	3. Broken

**Chapter 3 of Ghosts of War**

Rose and Jack materialized and surveyed their surroundings. They were actually on Earth. Specifically, it was an alley in Cardiff not very far away from Torchwood.

"Figured you could use a break from the traveling. Maybe see some old friends, have some fun. We've been traveling for a while now," Rose told him. They didn't often return to Earth, except to relax a bit and start again or to tinker with the vortex manipulator and make sure it kept working. Rose had very few friends here, but she knew Jack had several.

"Oh, you're the best, Rosie," Jack told her, picking her up and spinning her around. Rose laughed and then shooed him off.

"You go on back to Torchwood. I've got some things to do before I go back," Rose told him.

Jack nodded, but looked a bit confused. "You sure? I can go with you."

"No, no. Please, I'll only be a little bit. Go see Gwen, Owen, and the rest of the gang," Rose told him, already walking away.

Jack nodded forcefully and took off running in the other direction. Rose waited until he was completely gone until she reprogrammed her vortex manipulator to send her to London. Pressing the button quickly, she dematerialized from Cardiff and rematerialized in London very near to her old home at the Powell Estate. She quickly focused her mind on changing her clothes to something more matching to the time and place she was in. She settled on jeans and a solid black t-shirt. Sighing, she stared at the building that had been her home for nineteen years. Sure, it had been well over 650 years since she had lived here, but Rose felt very much tied to this building. The year was 2012, a few years after the Canary Wharf incident, for this universe anyway. It was April, she figured from all the flowers blooming and the decently warm weather. Rose climbed the stairs solemnly, remembering so many things all at once. Her mum yelling at her to do her homework for the fourth time in a row, later yelling at her over Jimmy Stone. It hadn't been all yelling, though. Her mum would hold her when she cried and rub her back soothingly, whispering words of love and encouragement in her ear. She also remembered the Doctor the first time he had visited her here.

 _What are you doing here?_

"I live here," Rose said in her current time and body as she opened the door, not needing a key even though she did own it.

Stepping through the threshold, she stopped and just stared around at the flat. It was in the same exact condition it had been left in all those years ago. Rose had rented it out under the false name 'Marion Wolf'. Her middle name was Marion, and 'Wolf' just made sense. She didn't come back terribly often, but when she did she just sat mostly and pretended her family was still alive, that her mum and the Doctor were still in her life. She hadn't taken anything from the flat or left anything behind since, wanting it to remain exactly as it was. Jack had asked her a million times why she hadn't tried harder to contact the Doctor. She didn't have her old cell phone, she didn't have any real way of contacting him. Jack hadn't seen him since he'd abandoned him on Satellite Five so even if he did see him, he wouldn't recognize him. Had the Doctor bothered to even go back and "rescue" Jack? No, he'd left him there to fend for himself. Jack was resourceful and had made it back to Earth in the year he had somehow known Rose would need him in. Rose missed the Doctor, though she'd never admit it. She hated him for abandoning Jack, for not trying harder to retriever her from the parallel world, and for the past 700 or so years of her life that had been spent without him. But, look at all she had accomplished. Her and Jack were unstoppable. They save so many people, and all without violence. The Doctor would probably be very proud of her.

Rose walked through the flat until she reached her old bedroom. The vibrant pink assaulted her eyes immediately and she smirked. She had been a totally different person back then. She felt her insides begin to fall apart as she sat down on her bed. Rose fought hard to let the giant success on the planet of the Quammites keep her emotions level, but the overwhelming sadness pulled her slowly but surely under and she curled up on her childhood bed and cried. Her mind ached again, something that happened every so often, for reasons Rose wasn't sure of. She thought originally that it was from crossing the void between the universes. But, after months of being here the headaches hadn't subsided and Rose decided, much later when she discovered she had extreme capabilities, that it might be because of the strain on her mind. However, it didn't always occur after doing something extraordinary like freeing the prisoners. She had done far more before and never had the pain. It felt like her skull was pulling itself apart and her brain was trying to crawl out of it. Deciding not to fight the pain today, Rose fell into the first deep sleep in months. She dreamed of Christmas when she was younger, her mum making her cookies and then them both sitting down to watch a film.

She awoke and the room was pitch black. She hadn't turned any lights on before she fell asleep, but she didn't need to. She could see much better in the dark than any normal human, so she arose from the bed with a sigh and took one long look around her old room. Then, she made her way to the front door of the flat. Her hand on the doorknob, she turned once more, staring at nothing in particular, just trying to memorize it all before she left.

"Goodbye, mum," She whispered, tears building in her eyes.

She opened the door and was gone.

* * *

Somewhere in the time vortex

The Doctor had set the Tardis to simply sit in the time vortex for a few hours. He had just come from a planet called some really long and complicated name that the Doctor didn't care to think about right now. He had tried and failed to save a young man there. He had been part of a scheme to overthrow the government of the planet, but the Doctor could tell that he hadn't wanted to be a part of it. The boy had told the Doctor so when he had found out that the Doctor, thanks to the psychic paper, was the advisor to the monarch. The Doctor had told him he could save him, but the boy had told him he couldn't get out if he wanted to keep his life. The boy had indeed stayed with the others who were plotting, and he had been arrested and executed in the square before the monarch of the planet, the Doctor screaming for mercy the entire time.

It seemed more often than not that this universe had given up on mercy. There was no mercy, and perhaps there never had been. If there were, perhaps saving people would be more rewarding than it typically was as of late. Perhaps people would turn out to be good more times than they were bad. Perhaps friends could really stay for forever when they said they wanted to. These were the things that plagued the Doctor nowadays. His heart was heavy with grief. He had lived for almost a millennium, but the results to show for it weren't great. He was alone, tired, and hopeless.

The Tardis nudged him telepathically, feeling his melancholy thoughts. It had been seventy years since Rose had left, and nothing brought him consolation except for the Tardis. Martha had long since left and was now getting up in years herself, or would be in his timeline. He could enter hers at any point, however. He knew he shouldn't be alone, but he couldn't bring it upon himself to find someone else to travel with him. He had no desire to talk to anyone, which he still found odd because of the intense desire in his current body to always be talking.

The Doctor huffed in frustration and pushed himself away from the railing, dialing the randomizer on the Tardis console.

"Allonsy," The Doctor quietly spoke to himself.

The Tardis traveled through time and space and landed somewhere the Doctor could only hypothesize about. He threw on his long coat given to him by Janis Joplin and made his way to the door. Opening it, he found that he was in a field. There wasn't much around, but a high fence with barbed wire told him it might be some sort of prison. There was a vast forest of trees in the other direction. He sniffed the air and then brought his right index finger up to his mouth, wet it, and stuck it into the air, turning it in all directions.

"Ah, I think this is the planet Quoma. Home of the Quammites," The Doctor deduced.

 _Not the greatest race of people. More violent than kind, for sure. Maybe I should leave._

That's when he noticed that there was literally no one outside. He couldn't see any guards around, no one holding the perimeter. That seemed odd, so he figured he would at least check it out. Leaving the Tardis, he walked toward the base. There was a man lying on the ground near the closest entrance. The Doctor bent over to check his pulse.

"Hmm. Sleeping," He said, then clicked his tongue and stood up, "Now, that's weird."

He looked around and saw many other guards who were also lying on the ground and were asleep.

"What in the name of Gallifrey happened here?" he spoke to no one in particular.

Racking his brain, he decided to investigate further. He checked each guard on his way to the nearest building. They were all in a deep sleep, but physiologically fine. He poked his head in each building, and saw no one inside most of them. In some buildings, however, there were a few uniformed soldiers, but they were all asleep. He entered a small building in the rear of the camp and found himself inside what he immediately knew was a prison. There was a corridor ahead of him that he could see the cells from here, so he ventured further out of curiosity. Staring down the hallway, his brow furrowed. They were all empty. Every single one of them. It was all extremely strange, and the Doctor didn't know what to make of it. Maybe someone had come back for their prisoner who was being kept here and released a gas to make everyone go to sleep. But, the sleeping soldiers were all outside, where gas like that couldn't be easily contained. It just didn't add up.

"Who are you?" A quiet voice interrupted his thoughts and he spun around.

A young boy was standing there. He appeared humanoid, like the Quammites, but the Doctor knew that many species appeared humanoid. The key to his species were the brilliant blue irises. This boy was of the river tribes of the planet Hallow, and he was several galaxies away from his home planet.

"Uh, I'm the Doctor," The Doctor answered the boy, taking a few steps closer.

"Can you help me get home?" the boy asked, and the Doctor noticed how scared the boy seemed. Also, how sincere.

"Sure, no problem. But can you tell me what happened here? It seems like everyone's been put into a deep sleep," The Doctor asked the boy, grabbing a chair for both himself and the boy to sit down.

The boy hesitated for a few seconds, but then sat down in the chair beside the Doctor's. The Doctor remained silent, waiting for the boy to speak.

"They saved us," the boy spoke, seeming like his mind went very far away in that moment. The Doctor realized he was remembering. "We had no hope, no hope in the universe that we would get out alive. I was captured when a Quammite came to my home planet and stole me away. They like to have collections of outsiders for the queen to gain information from. I haven't been here for a long time, but others had been here for decades. This morning, a man who I thought might have been a Quammite was imprisoned in a cell at the end of the hall and he spoke with a strange language I had never heard before. I decided he probably wasn't a Quammite. Then, just as the queen does, she sent someone for the man. This woman entered the prison and went with the warden to his cell. The warden is still inside that cell, fast asleep. The woman and the man then ran along the hall, freeing each and every prisoner inside. The locks were unlocked without her even touching them, and then we were all free. She told us to find a way home, but I am so far away from home that no one wanted to take me home." The boy drooped his head in sadness as he finished his tale.

The Doctor had tons of questions, but instantly felt the need to reassure the boy. "I'll take you home, don't you worry. Now, what's your name?"

The boy looked up at him again and smiled. "Kapiro."

The Doctor smiled. "Well then, Kapiro. Let's take you home."

He rose from his seat and walked out of the prison with Kapiro following him back to the Tardis. The guards were still asleep, but the Doctor knew they would wake up soon. Entering the Tardis, he walked to the console and set the coordinates for Harlow.

"This is a beautiful ship," the boy said, awe and wonder in his voice. The Doctor turned and smiled, then pressed the lever down, taking the boy back home.

The Tardis groaned as she dematerialized and rematerialized.

"You're from the river tribes, right?" The Doctor asked, even though he was sure that he was.

The boy nodded.

"Then you're home," The Doctor told him, smiling. "It was nice to meet you, Kapiro."

The boy's blue eyes lit up with happiness. "Oh, thank you, Doctor! I will never forget this act of kindness. You have saved me from the big bad wolf!"

The Doctor had looked down at the console, smiling, but the smile dropped as his head snapped back up at those words.

"What…what do you mean, the big bad wolf?" The Doctor asked, very serious.

Kapiro looked extremely confused. "Um…what? What's a…wolf?"

The Doctor could scarcely breathe, and Kapiro turned and ran towards the door. "Thank you, Doctor!"

The Doctor couldn't even answer. He used his arms to support himself as he leaned against the console, his breaths coming too fast. He hadn't heard those words in so long. How could a boy say the phrase 'bad wolf' if he didn't even know what a wolf was? He couldn't. Which meant the words were planted there, and who else would plant those words other than the Bad Wolf herself? Time was wibbly wobbly, so it was possible, and the Doctor did seriously consider it, that perhaps the Bad Wolf had planted those words all those years ago when she had saved him on Satellite 5. Was that what was happening here? Was she somehow trying to comfort him, even after she had been gone for so long?

The Doctor felt tears spring to his eyes. He couldn't believe the relief that washed over him. To hear from her, even through the boy, was enough to make his hearts beat a little harder and feel more whole. Perhaps he wasn't so alone after all.

 **Thank you all. I hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Hope

**Guys, I've never watched Torchwood and I am assuming that Jake works alone because he has Rose. I might bring Owen in later since Jack apparently loves him, but I'm not sure. Okay, anyway, thanks guys! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Ghosts of War Chapter 4**

Rose jumped back to Cardiff using the vortex manipulator and made her way back to the Torchwood bunker. Jack was there, and he unlocked the heavy door for her to enter. She had programmed the vortex manipulator to bring her back a little after she had departed from him, so he wouldn't suspect anything.

"Hey, Rosie. Find everything you needed?" He asked brightly as he moved back for her to enter and then they descended into the bunker.

She climbed down the steep stairs after him. "Yeah, it went faster than I expected."

Jack was heavily involved with Torchwood at times, but he mostly was just there for his information. They didn't know that he was special in the fact that he couldn't die, and that was definitely for the best. Torchwood likes to perform testing on aliens, and they didn't care about getting permission from the individual. Rose steered clear of them altogether, not trusting them for a second. Every time she was in the bunker, she got sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure why, but Torchwood just made her skin crawl. She had known that the Doctor didn't care for Torchwood, didn't trust them. Jack understood that protecting the Earth was paramount, and Rose agreed, but Jack was more okay with guns than Rose was. Rose accepted Jack as her best friend, but that is where they disagreed a little. Rose could get by without guns, mostly due to her powers, but Jack didn't have powers of his own so Rose thought that maybe that was why he felt a stronger need for guns.

"Well, I've just been tinkering around with a few projects. Wanna see?" Jack asked her, moving to a table that had parts strewn out all across it.

Rose drew near to him, examining the parts with bright earnest eyes. Jack had some pretty great ideas when it came to inventions, and Rose knew it was from his original time being so advanced in technology. Being stuck in the twenty first century was hard on Jack. So, he showed her his invention ideas, all of which Rose knew would succeed. Jack was amazing at this, and Rose encouraged him as much as she could. They used some of his inventions when they were out and about in the universe. The vortex manipulator was just one of the things he had made for the both of them.

"When did you wanna head back out?" Jack asked, suddenly serious.

Rose looked off to the side as she thought. "Umm…well, we don't have to leave right away. If you wanna take some time and work on this more or something else, that's fine. I can keep myself occupied."

She smiled at him, and he returned it brightly. "Oh, thanks, Rose. I'd love to get some more projects going. I think Torchwood could use the advanced tech."

Rose giggled. "Poor things."

Jack laughed. "I guess there's a reason they keep me around. They don't come poking around when I check in every once in a while, so there's that, too."

Rose nodded, knowing he was right. The worst possible thing that could happen to them would be for Torchwood to find out that they are different. Torchwood sees something different, and they immediately want to dissect it apart and identify everything that's 'different' about it.

"Okay, so just give me like a week, maybe a week and a half. You can even transport a week and a half into the future if you want, I won't judge," Jack winked at her and she playfully smacked his arm.

"Come on, now, I'm not that bad," Rose teased.

Jack smiled. "What are you gonna do? You can stay here, if you want."

Rose cocked her head, thinking. "I don't know, I don't like being around Torchwood, you know that. Maybe I'll take a trip to Spain or Italy or something, just relax for a bit."

Jack nodded slowly as he appreciated her answer. "That sounds heavenly. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," He teased and then winked again.

Rose laughed heartily. "Well, that excludes nothing," Rose laughed as she began walking toward the stairs again. "See you in a week and a half!"

Jack waved, "See ya, Rosie. You know where I'm at if you need me."

 _Always a big brother._

Rose exited again into the rare sunlight that was shining over Cardiff on that particular day. She sat down on a nearby bench, debating where she wanted to go to kill some time.

* * *

 _Cardiff, 2009_

The Doctor exited the Tardis, which was parked directly overtop the rift in Cardiff. She needed to recharge after a particularly rough flight though an asteroid belt. The Doctor felt kind of guilty about having to guide her through it after almost being taken prisoner yet again by the Shadow Proclamation. So, he had some time to kill and no companion to run off and get into trouble, so how in the world was he going to kill a few hours? He was already bored just thinking about it. Crossing to a nearby bench, he sat down to think, running a hand through his unruly hair. He could just go grab a bite of local food, some fish and chips perhaps? He could go see a film or a show, maybe. He didn't feel up for either of those, however. He wasn't about to go looking for Martha, and he knew Rose was gone, so there wasn't really anyone to go see. Sighing, he lowered his head into his hands. His life felt so empty, and he felt so alone.

The Doctor didn't notice when someone sat down next to him on the bench. The man was wearing a tweed jacket and a bow tie, which he adjusted nervously before he spoke. "Having a rough day, mate?"

The Doctor's head shot up and he stared at the strange man next to him for a moment, analyzing him, before he looked straight ahead and sighed. "You have no idea."

The man looked down and then raised his green eyes to the Doctor's again. "Things will look up. Just wait for it. Good things come to those who wait, or so I hear."

The Doctor chuckled. "Yeah? Well, then, perhaps the good things have skipped me. All that ever happens to me is bad things."

"Well, that's a bit melodramatic, isn't it? There has to be some good in your life," the man said, scrunching up his nose.

The Doctor sighed again and moved to get up. "There used to be. I'm sorry, but I really must be going. Have a good day."

The Doctor moved away from the man in the tweed jacket, and he heard him stand as he was walking away. He heard a couple footsteps behind him and then the man's voice again.

"You're not alone, Doctor," he spoke.

Those words stopped the Doctor dead in his tracks. His back was tense and rigid, his mind going through every possible scenario trying to decipher what this man could mean by that. He whipped around and stared at the man, his mouth hanging open.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked quietly.

The man bowed his head, his black hair shading his eyes briefly. "It's not important who I am. It's important that you remember you're not alone. You're never alone, not even now when you feel like everything you've loved has been ripped away from you."

The Doctor stared incredulously at the man and analyzed his features closer, trying to understand who this man could possibly be. From the bowtie to the strange tweed jacket, which definitely wasn't in style in this year, the Doctor had an idea of who it was now.

"You're…," The Doctor couldn't even get the rest out, stopping. He knew he would understand.

The younger looking man nodded slightly, coming a little closer to the Doctor.

"I just want you to know that you can't give up. Keep traveling, keep fighting. Never lose hope. Things are not as they seem," The younger looking Doctor told his previous regeneration.

Then, he turned to leave and was walking away so quickly that the younger Doctor ran after him, desperate to know more.

"What do you know?" He asked, trying not to sound too desperate, but inside he was. He needed to know why he needed to have hope, what more the universe had to offer. He was tired, tired of struggling through this life, or many lives for a human, without much cause for happiness.

The older Doctor stopped and slowly turned. "You know I can't say." His eyes were incredibly sad, like he could feel what the younger man was going through and, the Doctor figured, he did. He had lived through it.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I feel lost. I've never felt this lost before," The tenth Doctor spoke softly, looking anywhere but at the other Doctor's eyes.

The older man huffed and looked up at the sky. "You know, it's rather funny if you think about it. I'm you and you're me. I'm older and, dare I say it, wiser, and yet I'm about to do something I would never have done before," He paused and the pinstriped Doctor looked at him expectantly, " I'm about to tell you where to go. You want hope? Here it is."

The younger Doctor waited, not daring to even breathe.

"Go to Cardiff in the year 2012, the last day of April. Just sit on this bench here, like you were. Wait until dusk, right before dark. There will be someone coming from near that building over there," He explained and then pointed to somewhere behind the Doctor and behind the bench he had been sitting on. "It will be a difficult conversation, a difficult meeting. Trust me, trust yourself, that this is important. It's time you start facing your choices, facing your decisions, instead of running from them."

The younger Doctor hesitated, not really liking that last statement, but he decided he had no choice but to trust himself.

"Why 2012?" He asked, just curious.

"Because I remember, and I will never forget it. It's the beginning of your next adventure, and trust me, you won't want to miss it," The other simply said, and turned to walk away again.

This time, the Doctor let him go. The man with the tweed jacket walked solemnly away from the younger version of himself. There was nothing more to say, and the younger man looked back at the bench. The bench would apparently change everything. It would bring him hope, bring him a reason to be happy again. His face broke into a real, genuine smile that showed his teeth and then he turned and ran towards the Tardis, his long brown coat trailing behind him, seeming to encourage him on.

 _Back at Torchwood_

Rose exited the bunker, trying to think of things she could do for a week and a half. She decided she didn't really want a vacation and so she programmed her vortex manipulator for the exact same spot near the bunker a week and a half from now, to the end of April. Taking a breath, she pressed the button. It was lightly raining, but Rose didn't mind the rain. She changed her clothes, mentally of course, to include a jacket and this time a blue shirt with dark jeans so that at least it wouldn't look like she had just skipped forward a week and a half instead of waiting it out. Jack probably would poke fun at her, no matter what he had said. The bunker was very well isolated, and there were people at Torchwood who didn't even know about it, so Rose wasn't worried about being seen changing her clothes without actually physically changing her clothes, which wouldn't be good at all.

She pressed a button near the side of the door that was hidden from view and the door depressurized. Swinging it open, Rose stepped inside. The entryway room's lights flickered on and Rose closed the door behind her. She walked down an initial few stairs and reached the main entrance door to the bunker, which required voice recognition to enter or for someone on the inside to let you inside. She pressed the intercom.

"Jack? It's me," Rose spoke, and then released the intercom button.

There was silence for a few seconds and then Jack's clear voice sounded. "Buzzing you in."

The door opened and Rose stepped through, closing it behind her. The door clicked heavily, and Jack was standing there waiting on her. His arms came around her, giving her a bear hug.

"Hey, Rosie. Missed you," Jack said, giving her a squeeze and then releasing her.

Rose smiled. "Missed you, too. Get anything accomplished?"

Jack sighed. "Well, a little. But, I could use a break. Wanna get out of here?"

Rose smiled brighter. "Yes, please."

Jack laughed and grabbed his jacket, very similar to the one he had lost on the planet with the Quammites, and they both walked hand in hand back to the main entrance. Jack laughed as they exited the bunker and he secured the lock, but inside his insides were scrambling to settle. He had a secret, and he didn't know how he would keep it from Rose for very long.

* * *

 _April 30, 2012_

The Doctor could barely contain his nerves as he sat down on the stone bench near the rift. He kept fidgeting with his hands, his suit, and of course, running his hand through his hair. He was anxious because he had no idea who he was about to see. Someone important, obviously, but who? It was nearly dusk, as he had skipped forward to dusk to see this mystery person instead of waiting around all day for them.

Anyone who walked by him caused him to jump and his eyes to search their face. None of them were familiar and none even gave him so much as a passing glance. He put his elbows on his knees, leaning forward with a sigh. He was nervous, but he decided he was ready. Ready to meet this person and understand what his older self was trying to tell him.

The Doctor was there for an hour when he heard whistling. It wasn't something out of the ordinary and it didn't grab the Doctor's attention, however. What grabbed his attention was the queasy, and utterly wrong, feeling he got as the whistling got louder. What irked him is that he had felt it before, not so very long ago either. He had left Jack Harkness on the Satellite Five game station a few years ago when he felt the general "wrongness" associated with Jack after having been brought to live by the Bad Wolf, who also happened to be his companion Rose Tyler. The Doctor wracked his brain, trying to figure out why Jack had anything to do with any of this.

 _Jack, seriously? Why Jack?_

The Doctor knew this was the person he was supposed to meet. Who else? It couldn't be a coincidence that the Doctor was meeting him here. Sighing, he rose to his feet and turned in the direction of the whistling, trying to keep his face blank. There he was, same old handsome Captain Jack Harkness. He was walking with a spring in his step, whistling away, not seeming to have a care in the world. He was coming straight towards the Doctor, but he hadn't looked his way yet. That's when the Doctor realized that Jack wouldn't recognize him. He watched Jack walk and then his gaze caught on something behind the Doctor and the whistling immediately stopped, his mouth falling open. The Doctor, still unseen by Jack, turned and looked. The only thing seeming to be out of the ordinary was the Tardis. Of course, he recognized the Tardis.

Jack was frozen in place, it seemed. He just stared at the Tardis, his mouth slightly ajar. Then, after a few moments, he turned and looked back toward the way he had come for a moment. Turning back, he began to run towards the Tardis. He dead stopped halfway to it, his face contorted. The Doctor realized that Jack couldn't decide if he wanted to approach the Tardis or not. Jack probably resented him for leaving him, which was completely reasonable. Jack began walking briskly this time when he continued, and marched right up to the Tardis doors. He tried to open them, but they wouldn't open for him. He knocked instead, loudly. The Doctor decided it was time to reveal himself. He walked up behind Jack and stood just a little bit away from him.

"I'm afraid the call box is out of order," He spoke levelly, trying not to find humor in his joke.

Jack froze at his voice and then turned slowly. His eyes relaxed as he didn't recognize the Doctor, but his eyes roamed the Doctor's figure, assessing him. "Who are you?" he asked when he had finished.

The Doctor sighed. "Well, I'm in charge of this call box."

Jack sighed. "Do you know who I am?"

The Doctor hesitated for just a moment, before he replied. "Yes, Jack. I know you."

Jack gasped, then took a step away from the Tardis. "You've changed. For the better, I might add," He flirted with a wink. Same old Jack.

"Yeah, well, it's been a while since I've seen you. I do this thing called regen-" The Doctor began to explain but was cut off.

"I know. You regenerate and get a new face. I know about it," Jack interrupted, then seemed to get internally angry at himself as he shook his head.

"How do you know? I haven't seen you in quite a while, Jack. Do I know you in the future or something?" The Doctor asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"No, no. I just…I have my ways. You know me, I…get around," Jack spoke, adding a smile towards the end.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I would like to know how you came upon such sensitive information about me."

"Just an old friend of yours, nothing to worry about I assure you," Jack spoke, hoping the Doctor wouldn't pry any further. He had promised Rose, after all.

The Doctor seemed to be satisfied for the moment as he reached a hand through his hair, ending to tug on his ear. "Well, how have you been?"

Jack smiled. "Good, good. I've been working for Torchwood a bit, traveling a bit. Well, just got back actually."

The Doctor smiled. "Traveling? Well, that's…great."

Jack smiled. "Yeah. W-I've been traveling all over. Just got back from prison on a different planet, actually."

The Doctor's eyebrows rose in surprise. "So did I, actually. Not as a prisoner, though, which I'm sure you'll say differently."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, I was a prisoner. Luckily, I had a friend with me and she saved me. Well, me and everyone else in the prison. You'd be proud. I save people, I'm a law-abiding citizen now."

"Wow, you've came so far," The Doctor joked, laughing. Jack wasn't so bad if he could get past the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Jack's smile faded and he became more serious as his voice became deeper. "Doctor, I know why you left me there on Satellite Five. I know I can't die. I've died so many times I've lost count. I've lived for over 700 years and I've died every way imaginable and nothing has worked yet."

"I'm sorry, Jack. It's no way to live," The Doctor quietly said.

Jack smiled. "It's alright. I'm used to it. I resented you for a long time, but I understand. It took me a while, but I do."

The Doctor nodded, relieved Jack didn't harbor any hard feelings.

"So…seven hundred years. You're almost as old as I am, Jack. I mean, you certainly were nowhere near seven hundred years old when I saw you last," The Doctor said.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I'll probably catch up to you one of these days."

The Doctor laughed and nodded. "I'm sure you will."

Jack smiled, but then stepped back towards where he had come. "Doctor, I've gotta be honest. I can't tell you why, but you should be back here tomorrow at noon. We…we always meet at noon at the bunker."

"We? Who's 'we'?" The Doctor asked.

"My friend that I travel with," Jack simply answered.

The Doctor was confused, his expression showed as much, but he nodded slowly. "Sure, I'll…I'll come back tomorrow."

The Doctor didn't really want to come back. Being close to Jack made him feel sick. He could handle it, of course, but he didn't want to be around him more than he needed to. He had to satisfy his curiosity, however.

Jack beamed. "Great. Great! I can't wait. My friend is going to really love meeting you. Well…I hope she does," He sobered near the end and looked down again.

The Doctor was thoroughly confused, but he was still trusting his older self. Whatever he was meant to find here today, he hoped that it was Jack and involved meeting his new friend.

"So, here tomorrow at the same time or when?" The Doctor asked.

"At noon. Stay inside the TARDIS until I motion that it's okay. My friend is…shy. She may not want to meet you, but if she does, I'll let you know," Jack explained.

The Doctor nodded. Jack shook the Doctor's hand and told him a farewell. He walked away, a new spring in his step at the thought of Rose maybe meeting the Doctor after all these years. He wanted his dear friend to be happy. Rose had been adamant that Jack never say anything to the Doctor about her being there, but she never told him that he couldn't casually ask the Doctor to meet up. However, he would make sure Rose wasn't walking into a trap. He decided he would let Rose see the Tardis first, and then she would have no doubt of who it was. Then, he would let her decide. She hadn't seen him in over 600 years. There had to be a reason for her feeling the way she did, but could she really resist seeing him again? Jack highly doubted it, smirking as he made his way back to the Torchwood bunker.


	5. Confronting the Past

**Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 5 of Ghosts of War

Jack led Rose away from the bunker in the direction of the rift, where Jack knew the Tardis was resting as it was exactly noon. The Doctor would be in the Tardis, waiting for his signal, and Jack was a perpetual ball of nerves. He didn't want Rose to hate him. He didn't even want her to be angry. But, Jack knew she thought about him even if she didn't say anything. She was a fierce woman, a warrior even, now more than ever before, but she had an open, loving heart even now and Jack knew that heart belonged to the Doctor even now.

Clearing the side of a building, there it was. The deep blue Tardis sat directly on top of the rift, where Jack had told the Doctor to wait. Jack nudged Rose to a stop and she glanced back with a quizzical expression.

"Yeah?" She voiced, questioning his actions. "Is something wrong?"

Jack sighed deeply, blowing the air out through his partly closed lips. "Rose, I know we talked about this and things have been quiet for so long. We haven't heard anything or seen…but, I think you need this. You need the closure of doing this, finally…once and for all."

Rose's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, but then her face turned a pale white and her eyes grew large with…terror? Anger? Frustration? Jack couldn't tell, but he didn't have time to analyze further, because Rose's eyes were no longer resting on his face. They were instead flickering about wildly, as if searching for something. They roamed for a few seconds before finally resting on what Jack knew, without even looking, was the Tardis. Her sharp intake of breath confirmed his theory, and he knew it was now or never to calm her down.

"Now, Rosie, listen to me. He happened to show up yesterday, but he looks different. I didn't recognize him at first, but I told him to come and meet my "friend", so he has no idea you're here. He doesn't have to, either, it's your call entirely. But, Rose…He was your best friend. I know you consider me your best friend, but the Doctor and you…you had something special. I could see it, everyone could see it. I know for a fact he would love to see you," Jack spoke all these words in desperation, his hands at Rose's shoulders, but Rose's eyes were not on him but still glued to the Tardis.

"What…what did he look like?" Rose asked quietly. Jack almost didn't hear her.

"Um…he was really thin, actually now that I think about it, he was like a skeleton. He was wearing a brown pinstriped suit and he had this out of control brown hair that sort of went everywhere," Jack described him to her.

She closed her eyes, a single tear releasing itself from her eye. "Jack…"

Jack closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here, Rosie."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do. I do. But I just have this terrible feeling about meeting him again, like something really bad would happen if I did. I don't understand it, but I can't just ignore it," Rose whispered into his ear as he held her.

Jack nodded. "I know, you've always said that. I just…you'll never get over this fear if you don't meet him again."

Rose sighed into Jack's shoulder. "You are in so much trouble," she said a bit louder, but her and Jack tumbled into laughter because they both knew she wasn't serious.

Rose pulled away and looked Jack deep in his eyes. "Jack, you're my best friend. I need you to make me one more promise."

Jack nodded. "Anything."

"If something happens and I can't handle this or I…I don't know, I don't want to see him anymore once I've seen him, you have to promise to make him leave us here and not come back again," Rose solemnly said, as though she trusted her very life in Jack's hands, and she did.

Rose waited to see Jack's nod of agreement and then she looked again towards the Tardis. Jack looked, too.

"I'm going to go signal for him. You can stay here, he shouldn't see you yet when he comes out. It may help that he doesn't see you right away," Jack told her, smiling in encouragement as he tried to calm what he knew were her shaky nerves.

Rose nodded, and then used her shirt to wipe her tears. Jack kissed her forehead and then began walking toward the Tardis. As he neared the door, the Doctor stepped out, Jack having forgotten there are cameras inside that allows the Doctor to see the outside immediate vicinity around the Tardis. He knew that the Doctor couldn't have seen Rose, though, as she was well out of range of those cameras.

"Hello, Doctor," Jack greeted, reaching forward for a big hug instead of a handshake.

The Doctor awkwardly allowed himself to be hugged, though grumbling internally. Jack patted him twice on the back and then released him.

"I thought you had a friend coming or something," The Doctor asked when they released each other, smiling. "Did she decide she didn't want to meet me, after all?"

Jack's smile faded a little. "Well, she…she's here. I told her I'd give you the signal and she could see you before making her final decision."

The Doctor looked down in thought and then nodded. "Who is this mystery girl?"

Jack looked at a place to the right and significantly beyond the Doctor, but his stomach dropped as he realized that Rose was no longer standing where she had been. He immediately panicked and began looking all around for her. She had seemed pretty alright when he had left to signal for the Doctor, so why would she run? The terrible thing was that she could be anywhere because she had a vortex manipulator.

"Um, well, she was standing right there. I've gotta go find her," Jack told the Doctor, urgency radiating from in waves.

The Doctor took off after him, trying to keep his voice marginally quiet, "Jack, I have a time machine. We can track your friend."

Jack stopped dead in his tracks. "What would you need to know to track her?"

"I'd just need something of hers with her DNA in it, that's it," The Doctor told him.

Jack contemplated this for a minute, but then his face went slack as he realized where she was.

"Nevermind. I know where she is. She's in London. She has a vortex manipulator, see. She must have gotten scared and ran," Jack said as he reached down to program his brand new vortex manipulator that had replaced the one he had lost.

The Doctor scoffed. "Scared of what? Of me? Does she know me?"

Jack was beginning to lose his patience. Rose needed him to be there for her right now.

"Doctor, I have to go now to find her. I'm sorry this didn't work out, but she obviously isn't ready to see you again. She told me to tell you to forget about it and not return," Jack informed him and he finished setting the coordinates.

The Doctor scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion and he looked utterly hurt. Jack's expression softened and he sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry. My friend has been through a lot," Jack told him. "I have to go help her."

The Doctor nodded and watched as Jack ran to an alley between two large buildings in order to dematerialize without being seen. The Doctor stood standing in the same spot for several minutes, thoroughly confused but also, for some reason, very sad. The only thought running through his head was Jack's words repeating over and over: 'She obviously isn't ready to see you again.' _Again?_

* * *

 **London, England**

Rose had retreated to London again and she sat on a bench barely keeping it together. She felt so empty inside, so sad. She wasn't even sure why. She had had that feeling again, the feeling that she needed to get away from the Doctor. She didn't feel like she should see him. She sighed and put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. The air was chilly, and she felt a little cold in just her t-shirt, but she didn't care enough to move just yet. She hadn't shed tears yet, but she didn't have the energy to. She couldn't believe Jack would do this to her. He knew how she felt, and she didn't believe he would just blatantly. Her feelings for the Doctor hadn't faded, and Rose still loved him no matter how much she tried to not think about it. But, something kept holding her back. She sighed again, completely frustrated. Why can't her life after so long be simple?

These thoughts consumed her mind totally, and she was beginning to get a headache and it clouded her mind so much that she didn't notice a person approaching her until she felt a light weight around her shoulders. Her head snapped up, and she realized a stranger had placed a jacket around her shoulders.

"Hello, sorry. You looked quite cold," He said, and Rose blinked.

The man was wearing suspenders, which Rose found unusual but not entirely odd. What she did find odd was the bow tie. Who wore bow ties in this century? The man settled down beside her, and she realized she should probably say something.

"Um, thanks. I was a bit cold," Rose told the man, clinging tighter to the jacket.

The man smiled at Rose, and Rose felt her spirits lift just a little bit. She gave a small smile to the man in return.

"You seem a bit flustered, is everything okay?" The man asked, watching her face carefully.

Rose studied him for a moment before answering. "Just…life is complicated, I guess."

The man nodded and looked out in front of them, towards the nearby street. "Life is always complicated."

Rose nodded. She felt a little queasy, and she coughed and swallowed, hoping to resist the urge to throw up. The man seemed to sense her discomfort and turned towards her again. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but running from your fears will never make them stop searching for you. Sometimes, our fears are actually our greatest adventure."

Rose's blood stopped cold in her veins. The queasiness, she knew then, was not coincidental. She jumped up from the bench, the jacket falling from her shoulders as she did.

"Y-you. Why? Why do you keep following me? I don't even know this you. Stop following me. I don't want to see you and that's final," Rose all but yelled at him, not even bothering to worry about someone overhearing.

The man stood, his jacket forgotten on the bench. "Rose, please. I know you're scared, and I know about the feeling in the pit of your stomach. It's not true, Rose. It's not what you think. Please…I can help you, but only if you meet me again and let me."

Rose didn't even know what to say. Here standing in front of her was the Doctor, though not her Doctor, and he knew everything. Which meant that at some point, she did actually conquer her fear and meet him. She didn't like the idea, as the pit in her stomach reminded her. She always felt that she could trust the Doctor with anything, and she could feel deep down that she still did. Tears sprang to her eyes. She just felt overwhelmed at the possibility of seeing the Doctor again. Could she even do it?

"Rose…," The man who she now knew was the Doctor said, "Go back. Meet me. I can help you. It won't be easy, I admit, but you are so strong, Rose. You can do anything."

Rose felt a tear roll down her cheek, and the Doctor raised his hand to her cheek to brush it away. The moment he touched her, everything stopped. Her eyes raised to his, and she felt totally fine again. Her stomach stopped rolling, her headache left, her tears stopped flowing, and her eyes gazed deep into the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor smiled, and Rose felt her lips curve up to smile in return. He lowered his hand from her face and all those feelings from before returned. She almost threw up from the intensity of it.

"Rose, please go. Find me. I'm waiting in Cardiff," The Doctor told her. Rose nodded and turned from him.

She took a few steps but then turned back around. "Doctor, what's happening to me? I am so nauseous."

The Doctor sighed. "Rose, you need my help. I can't tell you what is wrong, but you'll be fine. Don't worry."

Rose sighed, nodded, and turned around, walking toward an alley where she could transport back to Torchwood without being seen. She didn't look back to the Doctor, so she didn't see him pick up his jacket and walk solemnly down the street to his Tardis.

* * *

 **Cardiff**

The Doctor entered the Tardis to wait on Jack to come back with his friend. He didn't move the Tardis, letting her continue to refuel. He checked the readings on the monitor, got bored with that, and then began tinkering with things below the console. It didn't necessarily need tinkering with, he admitted silently, but he needed something to do. Unbeknownst to him, he was about to have his ship entered by someone he hadn't seen in years.


	6. A Painful Problem

**Hello, everyone! Enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to review!**

 **Cardiff**

Rose materialized in the same alley she had disappeared from, nervous and shaking all the way down her arms to her fingers. She tried to calm her nerves, but it was useless. Her stomach was in knots, and that was her chief concern. She didn't want to see the Doctor and then immediately cover his trainers with her stomach contents. She took a deep breath and walked, one foot in front of the other, towards the Tardis.

Inside the Tardis, the Doctor banged his head on a bar with a dull thud as his ship made a noise on his monitor. It usually meant there was something that needed his attention. He took off his special headpiece that had a light he was using to tinker below the floor and sat it down to his side on the console. Looking at the monitor, he pushed a swirling Gallifreyan symbol that was flashing. Up popped his camera that only alerted him when someone who wasn't him was approaching the Tardis. On the screen was a woman with wild hair.

"Who-" He stopped.

The Tardis hummed louder in his mind, as if welcoming an old friend. Someone she loved.

"It can't be," The Doctor breathed and turned toward the door. He was about to take a step towards it when it opened.

In walked a person who he never thought he would see again. Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth. This had to be who Jack had been referring to. She looked positively uncomfortable, to say the least, and the Doctor could feel there was something wrong. She stopped just inside the door after she closed it, just staring at him. The Doctor could form no words in his mind at any particular time. There were millions of questions he wanted to ask her, a million things he wanted to tell her. How could he narrow it down to utter a sentence?

Rose's hand fell to her stomach as a fresh roll of nausea hit her at the same time her head began to throb and ache again. She winced, and that was enough to break the Doctor out of his frozen state. He was immediately in front of her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and scanning down her front.

He checked the readings. "No, you're not."

"I'm fine," Rose spoke softly.

The Doctor chose not to argue with her, not when he was so excited just to see her. He stared at her, a slow smile growing on his mouth. She attempted a smile back.

"Hello," The Doctor said.

"Hello," Rose whispered. She was more happy to see him than she had thought, but her stomach was still rolling and she again felt that terrible sense that she needed to run, to get away from him. Why did she have to always feel this way? She hated it.

The Doctor reached to hug her, and the moment he touched her, she collapsed into his arms, screaming. His touch burned, it hurt. Rose didn't understand it, but all she could feel was the searing pain of her skin where his fingers and hands touched. She pulled away abruptly, clawing to get away.

"Rose? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked tentatively, hurt from her pulling back from him.

Rose looked into his eyes and began to cry, tears cascading from her eyes as she didn't know how to explain to him what was wrong.

"I don't know," Rose whispered, defeated, as she cried. She brought her hand to her mouth, unable to control her sobs at the moment.

The Doctor straightened. Something was really wrong. It was at that moment that Jack entered the Tardis.

"Rosie?!" He immediately gathered Rose into his arms, "Geez, Doctor, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I tried to hug her and she started crying. What's wrong with her?" The Doctor declared levelly.

Jack looked down at Rose. "Is it the same as before?"

Rose sighed and finally quieted but tears continued to stream down her face. "Worse. What's wrong with me?"

"Rose," The Doctor quietly pleaded, coming a little closer.

Rose passed out, going completely limp in Jack's arms. Jack picked her up bridal style.

"Let's get her to the med bay," The Doctor spoke, turning to lead the way through the halls.

Jack followed him, desperately trying to remain positive and also wondering if he made a mistake and should just take Rose back to Torchwood or her apartment in London and get her away from the Doctor. Entering the med bay, he laid her on the closest bed carefully. She looked so peaceful sleeping, like she wasn't in pain. He wiped her cheeks with his thumb, removing the remaining tears.

The Doctor pulled out some device and scanned her body yet again and then set it aside.

"Results won't be ready for a few hours. I need you to tell me what happened to her," the Doctor told Jack taking a seat at a small table on the other side of the room.

Jack sat down and sighed. "Doc, I feel like I made a huge mistake bringing her here, making her meet you. She didn't want to. I sort of tricked her. I feel terrible," Jack put his head in his hands and his face was forlorn with worry for his best friend.

"Jack, tell me everything. I have to know everything if I'm going to help her," The Doctor told her, his own face showing more worry than he would admit.

Jack looked at the Doctor, internally debating, then looked over at Rose. He had to save her. "Forgive me, sweetheart."

The Doctor leaned closer to Jack as he began his tale.

"Doctor, I've been with her for a really long time…not like that," He added when the Doctor's eyebrows raised, then Jack got a little annoyed, "Actually, just so you know, I can't die now and you just left me on that game station. I was alive. I ran up to find you…actually, that's not important. Rose is important right now."

The Doctor was shocked. Jack couldn't die? He'd worry about that later, but it did explain why Jack felt so…off.

"Many years ago, I found her right on top of the rift. She was bloody, bruised…broken. She came from the parallel world she said, but she couldn't remember what had happened to her. I ran some tests and her cells regenerated at a vastly superior rate to normal humans and they weren't aging at all. They metabolized, but they weren't slowly decaying. They were still turning over, like being recycled and things, but it almost wasn't even necessary. Her wounds were gone in no time. I suggested immediately that we should try to contact you even though I honestly didn't know how to, but Rose said she did. She immediately turned the idea down. When I asked why, she said her stomach got queasy every time she thought about you and that her gut was telling her to not contact you. I didn't understand it at all and had a right mind to contact you anyway, but she made me promise, Doctor…that was over 600 years ago," Jack finished, knowing this was the part that would really give the Doctor pause.

It did. The Doctor didn't blink for what seemed like forever, staring at Jack, and then he turned and looked at Rose lying on the table. "She…she's how old?"

"Her birthday was a few days ago. She's 697. Doctor, I promised her. I'm so sorry," Jack told him, his gaze forlorn.

The Doctor sighed loudly. "Why wouldn't she want to see me?"

Jack shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. But, from what just happened, there's something majorly wrong here. What would make her not be able to even be in your presence?"

The Doctor rose from his seat, ran a hand through his hair, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

"Jack, I have no idea. Tell me more, there has to be something," The Doctor turned to him, pleading with his eyes.

Jack wracked his brain, trying to remember everything. "Um…well, she has amazing powers."

"Powers? What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, his hand lowering from his head.

Jack glanced at Rose. "She can change her appearance. Not her face or anything, mind you, but her clothes, hair, eye color…things like that…on command. She closes her eyes and can be anyone. She rescued me from a prison a few days ago by changing into a guard's uniform and pretending to be a guard. It was awesome," Jack smiled, but then became more somber again. "She also can get inside people's minds without them knowing. She can learn languages that way, so she never looks or seems out of place. She sees the answer she needs to reply with in the person's mind and she says it fluently in that person's native language. It's truly spectacular."

The Doctor sat down again, slumping forward. He groaned as he again put his hands on his hand, ruffling his hair as he battled in some internal struggle.

"Jack, how? How did this happen?" The Doctor asked after some time.

"She remembers Bad Wolf," Jack spoke.

The Doctor froze. "She does?"

"Yes. She thinks it's why," Jack told him.

The Doctor nodded, considering the possibility that his ship had done this to her. Why would the Tardis affect her DNA? But then, maybe it hadn't been the Tardis. Perhaps it had been Bad Wolf herself who had changed her own body sort of in a way she had changed Jack's to never die. Did she do it for him? But then, why was she so nauseous and painful when he touched her. That part made literally no sense to the Doctor, and he felt crazier the longer he tried to figure out the reason.

"Let's let her sleep. The results have a few hours still. We will come back when they're ready. She will be safe here. I have to go to my library and do some reading. I'm going to try to figure out what's wrong with her," The Doctor stated and left the room.

Jack remained, trusting the Doctor to figure everything out. Jack pulled his chair, trying to be quiet, over to Rose's bedside and sat in it, letting his head drop to the cool sheet of the bed.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," Jack whispered into the sheet, hoping she heard him.

In the library, the Doctor was immediately knee-deep into books as they were gathered around his trainers. He sat in a large felt seated and backed chair that looked like something out of a Victorian era palace. He sighed as he finished another book that was no help to him, and that had been a book on human physiology and the problems with space.

"There has to be _something_ here!" He yelled, immediately reaching for another book he hadn't read yet.

He'd read almost one hundred books already, however, and there was nothing. He flipped through the pages of the newest one without looking at the title, and his hand paused on one single paragraph about a quarter of the way through the text.

' _Females can display excruciating pain when their mate has severed the connection between their minds. One might be urged to think that the female is dying, but she is only in excruciating pain when in physical contact or near proximity to the person who severed the connection. This condition is not curable unless connection is reestablished,'_ the text read in his own native language.

He turned the cover over. _Gallifreyan Biology and Physiology, 3_ _rd_ _edition._ What?

"Rose isn't Gallifreyan, but that certainly sounds like what is happening to her," the Doctor whispered to himself. He wracked his brain, trying to understand any other possible solution. He was the only Gallifreyan left in existence, and he was certain he hadn't bonded mentally with Rose. He quietly refused to let that small fact bother him too much. But, then a thought occurred to him. Jack had said that she didn't remember what had happened in the parallel world. The Doctor himself knew very little about the history of that world. There were small changes, he knew, like how Rose's Dad was successful and all of his experiments worked in that universe while they didn't in the prime universe. Therefore, it stood to reason, or so the Doctor thought, that there could have been Gallifreyans in that universe and that perhaps Gallifrey itself had never been destroyed. Could Rose have really met one, and not only met one but opened her mind to one? Had she been forced to? She didn't remember, but perhaps the Doctor could enter her mind and find out…it would be extremely painful, but he didn't see another option. Then again, this could all be just an entirely unbelievable coincidence.

 **Oh, y'all. This story is getting good, even for me lol. I hope you enjoyed this update, and are excited to see what the Doctor ends up finding out about Rose in the next one. There will also be a surprise character appearance in the next chapter!**


	7. Bad Wolf and the Truth

**New chapter! Whoop!**

Rose's eyes fluttered, and she immediately grabbed her head because it was not only clouded and confused, but it hurt and she groaned. The lights seemed too bright, and she couldn't recall anything from before. This had to be the most she had slept in months.

"Rose?" A familiar voice softly called to her.

She turned her head, opening her eyes, and there sitting next to the bed was Jack. His eyes looked worried.

"Hey, Jack," Rose said softly.

"How do you feel?" He asked. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay, just a bad headache. What happened?" Rose asked, still holding her head carefully.

Jack hesitated. "You don't…remember?"

Rose didn't see the Doctor standing by the door, having sensed Rose had woken up thanks to the Tardis. She shook her head.

"No, not really," Rose said, but then really looked around and immediately saw the Tardis' med bay and recognized it. Tears sprang to her eyes, aggravating her already pounding headache, "Jack, you promised! Why did you lie to me? I shouldn't have come here. I don't want to be here."

Jack stood and grabbed her in a tight hug, which is when he noticed the Doctor partly hiding behind the doorway to the med bay. He lifted a corner of his lips in sympathy, and then closed his eyes.

"Rose, this is good. He can help you, I'm sure of it," Jack soothed her by rubbing her back as he spoke.

"Jack, no one can help me. I've lived almost 700 years with this. I'm just cursed," Rose whimpered into his shoulder as she cried.

"Now, Rosie, don't talk like that," Jack softly spoke and then looked at the Doctor, giving a slight nod for him to enter the room and make his presence known.

The Doctor took a deep breath and entered the room. "Rose, how are you feeling?"

Rose broke away from Jack, immediately tense and uncomfortable. "Not great."

The Doctor stared deep into her tear-filled eyes, and both of his hearts constricted in pain. He wanted so badly to help her. He hoped that she would let him at least try.

"Rose, I have an idea that might help you, but it may be extremely painful," The Doctor explained with baited breath.

Rose perked up, obviously having figured he wouldn't be able to find a solution. Her eyes were guarded, however. "What is it?"

The Doctor glanced briefly at Jack before his gaze returned to Rose again. "Jack said that you don't remember anything from the parallel world, and I believe something happened there. Something that has caused this pain in your head anytime you're around me."

"What do you think happened?" Rose asked.

The Doctor hesitated. How much information should he tell her? "I'm not sure. I need to go into your mind, Rose, to see. Someone doesn't want you to remember what happened over there, and we need to find out why. Anything you don't want me to see, you can keep from me. But, that's the only way we are going to get to the bottom of this."

Rose paled. It had been years since the Doctor had been inside her mind. She remembered the sensation and at the time she had enjoyed it, but now it just made her nauseous. She grabbed her stomach as this new fresh wave of nausea hit her and groaned. Jack was immediately there, his arm coming to rest around her back and his thumb rubbing soothing strokes across her shirt.

"I'm afraid it will hurt a lot," She admitted, feeling very small.

"It is probably going to," The Doctor agreed, feeling terrible for wanting to put her through this much pain even with his good intentions of finding an end to the pain altogether. "I'll be as gentle as I can be, though, Rose."

Rose stilled, her crying stopping suddenly, and nodded. She used her hand to wipe away her tears and her jaw became tense as she resolved to the situation.

"Okay. Do it," She said quietly, her face still as stone. "I'm ready."

The Doctor nodded. Jack was apprehensive. "You might, kill her," Jack said.

The Doctor shook his head. "If that even came close to happening, I would retreat immediately from her mind. Do you trust me, Rose?"

Rose looked deep into his eyes, studying him for a moment. Her eyes softened again and it seemed for a moment that she was back to herself. Then, another wave of nausea hit her and she groaned, holding her stomach again.

"Yes, I do," She finally said.

The Doctor was happy she had said that, so he instructed her to lie down again and he stood next to her bed. He reached his hands up toward her temples and he noticed Rose took a deep breath.

"It's going to be okay, Rose. Remember, close anything off that you don't want me to see by imagining it locked behind a door. Okay?" The Doctor reminded her.

Rose simply nodded and closed her eyes, resting her arms across her stomach. The Doctor, however, turned and looked to Jack. "If what's happening is what I think it is, this could get ugly. Don't interfere. I know what I'm doing."

Jack nodded, though he didn't look one bit happy knowing he was about to see his friend in so much pain. The Doctor turned again to Rose, his fingers again rising to her temples. The moment he touched her temples and was immersed immediately in Rose's mind, she screamed. He could hear her scream, but he had to press onward. He was at the 'front door', so to speak, of her mind and he just had to wait for her to allow him inside. He could force his way in, but that would be even more painful and he would never do that to Rose. She trusted him. He spoke softly into her mind, a quiet whisper, for her to open her door to him. She immediately did. The mental Doctor walked through the front door and into her complete mind, laid out bare before him. Several things flashed by in a millisecond. None of them had doors to block them out, but the Doctor was looking for the memories of the parallel world. He knew he was getting close when he saw memories of the Dalek and Cybermen invasion on the day he had lost her. Slowing down, he focused on the memories up until that moment. The last memory Rose had clear recollection of was falling from the lever and she knew Pete had caught her and that he was taking her to the parallel world. She had no clear recollection of anything after, not even of actually being transported into the parallel world for sure.

Pressing forward, pushing gently, he rounded the 'corner', so to speak, of this memory 'hallway' and found several closed doors. These doors were thick, made of steel, and had chains on them, signifying to anyone who might enter her mind that these were not to be messed with. These are the kinds of doors that the Doctor always used when he made himself forget things in his own mind. He knew he had found what he had been looking for. Hesitantly, and not really looking forward to it, he reached a hand out towards the door.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked. The Doctor's head whipped around.

It was Rose. The Doctor figured it was her mental body, just like his existed, but he was surprised she even knew how to make one. Jack had said she had abilities telepathically, however, so he shouldn't be too surprised.

"I need to open these memories, Rose," the Doctor told her matter-of-factly.

"I'm not Rose," Rose spoke, her voice echoing through the halls.

The Doctor noticed how her long blond hair was curled and flowed down to her waist, but her eyes held this wild and unpredictable look in them. She wore a white robe that came all the way to her feet, which were bare, and it didn't cover her arms, where he saw multiple markings. Golden lines covered her arms, from shoulder to fingertips. They were beautiful, and as he watched them, they seemed to shift around and move to different places, forming different combinations and angles upon her skin.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked.

She cocked a smile, and her eyes shown a bright golden color which faded a few seconds later.

"Bad Wolf," The Doctor whispered.

Bad Wolf nodded. "Doctor, I'm here to protect Rose from you. It seems every time you get your mind in here, you hurt her," she explained and then softened, "She needs relief."

The Doctor nodded. "I'm here to help unlock her memories so we can figure out how to help her."

Bad Wolf shook her head and came a step closer. "Unlocking these memories will only cause her more pain than she is already in. Trust me, these memories remain shut for a reason. You unlock them, you jeopardize her life."

The Doctor sighed. "Then, how can I help her?"

"Nothing can help her," Bad Wolf shrugged.

The Doctor huffed in frustration. "But you just said she needs relief."

"She does, but I can't let you open these memories, Doctor. They would destroy her," Bad Wolf told him, and the Doctor searched her, really searched her, to determine if she was telling the truth.

"I would do anything to protect Rose," Bad Wolf firmly spoke, as if hearing his internal debate.

"Then, tell me how to help her. There has to be a way," The Doctor exclaimed. He was trying to not listen to Rose's screams from the table in the Tardis. He knew he needed to hurry.

"I know of no way," Bad Wolf admitted, but then her face morphed into a strange expression, "Well, there is one way."

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"I can tell you what is behind these doors if you promise not to tell. I am the only one who knows everything that is hidden behind these doors. I locked everything after what happened," Bad Wolf told him.

"If it helps Rose, then tell me," the Doctor told her, becoming impatient but unable to press too hard. This was technically a part of Rose.

Bad Wolf looked down. "Rose is Gallifreyan."

The Doctor was sure both of his hearts had stopped beating. Rose…a Gallifreyan?

"It is because of me. The Tardis changed a part of her into me, Bad Wolf, which is a part of the Tardis, which is from Gallifrey. The Tardis changed Rose into something for you. To be with you forever…then, you lost her," Bad Wolf accusingly glared at the Doctor.

"I didn't mean to lose her. I would have done anything to have kept her there," The Doctor defended himself, trying to not think too hard about that terrible day.

Bad Wolf gave a small nod and continued, "In the parallel world, she met a man who could change his face, another man who traveled in a Tardis. Another man called the Doctor. When he found out who she was, he asked her to travel with him. They fell in love, and unlike you, he was willing to endure a shorter lifespan of a human in exchange for loving someone who loved you back. He discovered she was different, that she was special and had powers. He discovered that she was Gallifreyan. Gallifrey doesn't exist in that world, either, Doctor. But, there are a few survivors, not just the Doctor."

The Doctor couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rose had fallen in love another Gallifreyan? How did she become so lucky to meet not one but two Time Lords in her life? He almost laughed. His special girl. She was so brilliant.

"So, why is she here, then?" The Doctor asked.

Bad Wolf sighed. "Something terrible happened. The Doctor was going to be executed, but in one last attempt to save Rose's life, he killed his Tardis to generate enough power to push her across the void through a small crack that had formed overtime. It immediately closed after she had left through the void, and he severed their mental link before she left so that she wouldn't die when he did. Even across universes, that kind of pain…it would kill."

The Doctor's hearts broke for her. He had heard of stories where Gallifreyans had died simply because their spouse had died, but he had never experienced it firsthand. He had been married at the time of the Time War, when his own wife had been killed, but he had severed any bonds right before leaving Gallifrey, not wanting to mentally witness their deaths in his mind's eye. No, he couldn't possibly tell Rose all of this. He couldn't look her in the eyes and tell her this.

"Now, you see, Doctor. Now, you see why you can't tell her any of this. The only way to help her would be to bond with her mind, to give her mind to someone else would ease her pain," Bad Wolf said.

"She would know everything. Bonding opens the mind of the other person entirely, she would see it all," The Doctor argued.

"But it wouldn't hurt as bad. She would be able to lean on you when that happens. She might still be heartbroken, but it would hurt less than when she is as empty as she is right now," Bad Wolf told him. She moved closer to him, her robes silently flittering across the ground. "Doctor, she loves you. Still. After 700 years, she loves you. Don't tell her of the parallel world. Her love is dead."

"You're sure?" The Doctor had to ask.

"There is such a small probability of his survival that it can't even be calculated," Bad Wolf sighed.

"I always liked impossible," The Doctor admitted. He would do anything for Rose.

"Doctor…," Bad Wolf lowly warned.

"She has to know. I can't keep something like this from her. I…I love her," The Doctor admitted for the first time to this part of Rose and hoped Rose hadn't heard him say it even though he was fairly certain she wouldn't.

Bad Wolf was becoming angry. "Doctor, if you love her, keep this from her!"

The Doctor turned and ran away from Bad Wolf, the echoing of her screams gradually fading. The Doctor exited Rose's mind and was immediately thrown back into his own. Rose's screams quieted down and she passed out. The Doctor fell over into the chair Jack had been using before, and Jack immediately came forward, frantic.

"What happened?" He asked.

The Doctor was breathing heavily, not able to form full words yet.

"Doctor?" Jack pressed, anxious for his friend.

The Doctor didn't have time to answer, because Rose' eyes opened and she raised her torso up from the table. She turned her head to look at the Doctor, her eyes glowing with golden light.

"I won't let you do this," Bad Wolf spoke, her voice seeming to come from everywhere at once.

Jack gasped, and hurried over to his friend. "Rose?"

Bad Wolf's eyes didn't waver from the Doctor. "Promise me."

The Doctor stared at her, a look of determination on his face causing his jaw to harden. "I have to do what I believe will make Rose better."

"Rose has lived for three quarters of a millennium without being this bad. What made her collapse was being near _you_. Leave her with Jack again, let her forget you. Better yet, make her forget you," Bad Wolf retorted, her voice growing more persistent.

"I won't do that. It's not what Rose would want," the Doctor sternly spoke.

"How do you know what Rose would want?!" Bad Wolf yelled. "I am her, and she is me. You don't know her anymore!"

The Doctor flinched, unwilling to admit that that really hurt. Jack found his voice again.

"I know Rose. There's no way that you are going to convince me not to let her know about this," the Doctor argued, his face set as if in stone.

Bad Wolf faltered, her face falling and her golden eyes dimming just slightly. "I…I can't protect her mind, Doctor. A bond like that…I can't protect her."

Suddenly, she looked so small, and the Doctor came a little closer and his facial expression softened considerably. "Let me protect her."

"How?" She whispered. Though her eyes were still glowing, her tone had shifted to complete hopelessness.

"I will bond with her myself, protect her mind from any assaults. It will be superficial, of course. He might still be alive," the Doctor posed, completely unsure whether Bad Wolf would accept this or not.

"She might not want that. It _has_ to be her decision, Doctor," Bad Wolf spoke, her voice rising a little as she was forcing her point.

"Of course. I would never do anything with Rose's mind she isn't comfortable with. She knows that," the Doctor said, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck as was his nervous habit.

Bad Wolf stared hard at the Doctor and closed her eyes suddenly. When they opened, she looked more like Rose, but there were golden flecks spinning and swimming around in her chocolate brown irises.

"She will agree, but you must protect her. The danger of what killed her love is very real and still very alive. It's why she was sent away," Bad Wolf said, much quieter again. She sounded defeated, but there was fear lingering in her voice.

"I would give my life before allowing harm to befall her," the Doctor promised, and meant every word.

Bad Wolf cocked a half-smile. "I know."

Finally, the Doctor was convinced that he had won Bad Wolf over. Long ago, she had saved him, with Rose's help of course, and was the part of Rose that he had thought he had removed. The part that was destroying her at the time. Little did he know, she had lingered, making Rose stronger and virtually, it would seem, immortal. The test results hadn't came back yet from the samples the Doctor had taken earlier.

Bad Wolf closed her eyes again, and a groan emitted from her lips. She opened her eyes again, and Jack and the Doctor both noticed her eyes were completely brown again. It was Rose.

"What just happened?" Rose asked, completely confused and in pain with another headache.

The Doctor took a deep breath. Jack was speechless, his mouth literally agape, so he would be of no help. The Doctor wanted to grab Rose's hand, explain it to her slowly, look deep in her eyes as he told her how much he cared and how much he would protect her. He couldn't touch her, though, not until he bonded superficially with her and she would be more stable. He knew this was going to be so hard on her, but he couldn't keep anything from her. Never again.

"Rose, there's a lot I have to say, and I ask that you just listen and really consider everything fully before you make a decision. Okay?" The Doctor paused and waited for her to nod. Her face showed he had her full attention and she slowly nodded, twisting around on the cot to face him, her legs hanging down.

"Rose, something happened in the parallel world. I went inside your mind and saw some things that convinced me that we need to go back there, to Pete's World. Your mind hurts when you're near me because you're…you're bonded…to another Gallifreyan," The Doctor explained, unable to continue past this point.

Rose froze, her mouth falling open. "What? Another Gallifreyan? You mean like you?"

"Yes, like me. Another Time Lord in that universe bonded with you, as in bonded his mind to yours. When you were sent here to this world and he didn't accompany you, the link was severed and that's why it hurts. Now, we are going back to hopefully either find out what happened to him or bring you back to him, whatever we can do. But, there's something else. There's a danger in the parallel world, and that's why you're here. He sent you away to keep you safe," The Doctor continued, looking down at his trainers.

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't find anything to even say, and her brain had suddenly turned to mush.

"I…I don't remember anything," Rose whispered, her voice so quiet the Doctor could barely hear her.

"Bad Wolf blocked your memories. I spoke with her, she is protecting you. It's because of her, well her and him really, that you are alive," The Doctor explained.

"Bad Wolf. I know that name," Rose spoke, her brow furrowing as she tried to remember. Pain lancing through her head made her stop trying to recall the memories.

"There's one more thing. If you're interested," The Doctor tentatively began, "We will go to the parallel world, but there's still the issue of the pain whenever you're near me. I can help with the pain, but only if…only if I bond with your mind myself. Superficially, of course,…and only until we find the other Gallifreyan."

Rose stared into his eyes, and he could tell she was thinking hard about it. She didn't speak for a long time, and finally the Doctor felt he needed to reassure her.

"It would help the pain. It's only temporary, and it can be broken as soon as we find him," The Doctor spoke.

"What if we don't find him? I'll always be in pain around you?" Rose asked, seeming very small in that moment.

The Doctor nodded, not speaking again. Rose returned his nod, and slid off the infirmary bed with a sigh.

"Let's do it. Until we get to the parallel world and find him," Rose consented. "However…here's a question. The rift is closed. How are we getting there?"

The Doctor paused, unsure even himself how they would get back across. The rift was closed, and Rose had only been able to cross over the void after a Tardis had died to push her through. He certainly wasn't about to kill his own Tardis to push them across, so they needed another way over.

"Jack, you work for Torchwood. Have they seen any recent abnormalities in the rift that might signify an opening or a crack?" He asked Jack, who sighed.

"Well, the most recent notes I had seen about it said there weren't any, but…we could scan again. You could, couldn't you, Doctor?" He asked.

The Doctor moved toward the door of the infirmary. "Let's go."

Jack followed, holding Rose's hand, giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

 **Well, there it is! Sorry it's been so long!**


End file.
